Bananas Foster

A New Orleans dessert of bananas cooked in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, flambéed with rum and served warm over vanilla ice cream.

Bananas Foster: Halved bananas in a skillet of bubbling brown sugar butter sauce with rum flames rising
  • Traditional and regional desserts
  • United States

Bananas Foster was created at Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans in 1951 and named for a regular customer, Richard Foster. The bananas are halved, then cooked briefly in a bubbling butter and brown sugar sauce, often with a splash of banana liqueur, so they soften without turning to mush.

Rum is added last and lit, traditionally at the table. The flame burns off much of the alcohol and leaves a deep caramel flavor. Firm, just-ripe bananas hold their shape best in the hot sauce.

Bake it at VanillaGoods

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Bananas Foster (Q2564638), Wikidata